Monday, July 5, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Avan
I finally got around to taking pictures of Avan in his blessing outfit. It was a good thing too because he's Almost too tall for it!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Memorial Day
For Memorial Day we headed to AF cemetery to visit some family that has passed on. First we visited grandpa Hanson and then we visited some great grandparents as well. It was really special for Duane to see his namesake's headstone. I hope I can keep grandpa's memory alive for my kids so they can know what a great man he was.
Grandma came with us early in the morning and we went again later with my mom and Gary.
After visiting grave sights and shopping, my mom and Gary took us the Texas Roadhouse Steak and Grill. Duane was terrified of the armadillo that was wandering around giving kids five and seating people. Every time the armadillo came near Duane would scramble into someone's arms and cry while other kids were getting their picture taken with him. Poor Duane may never look at an armadillo the same again.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Doctor & Doctor
Avan and Duane both went to the doctor in the past week. Avan went last Tuesday and Duane went this morning.
Avan's Doctor appointment:
Avan was happy and smiley and flirting with the nurses. I, of course, couldn't find his immunization card, so the office had to phone the hospital and have everything faxed over. Other than that, there weren't any bumps in our visit. Avan now weighs 16 pounds, which is in the 50 percentile for kids his age. He was also in the 50 percentile for his height, which I don't remember . . . He got three shots and only cried a little he was so brave. He kept looking at me with his sad face like he was asking, "Why did you let them do that?"
When Dr. Wilcox came in to look at him, Avan was sitting on the table, playing with the paper they lay down for each patient. Dr. Wilcox looked a little surprised to see Avan sitting up on his own and said, "I have to tell you that developmentaly, he's doing great! I don't remember the last time I've seen a five month old sitting up so well!" I was pleased, but I really didn't have anything to do with his sitting up early. He's so determined to catch up with Duane that it makes me sick!
Duane's Doctor appointment:
Our appointment was at 8:45 this morning. It snowed like crazy all the way there. We almost missed the appointment we were so late. Thank you Utah weather. Snow in May, are you serious? Luckily the doctor was nice enough to allow us in even though we were more than 15 minutes late. Duane had been roused early and was being a little bit of a stinker. He LOVES the fishies in the lobby and was reluctant to leave them. Once in the patient room, he cried when I took off his choo-choo sweater and kept yelling, "Jacket mine! Jacket mine!"
Currently, Duane weighs 32 pounds and is 35 inches tall. For weight he is in the 92 percentile and for height he is in the 79 percentile. He is tall and must eat lead for breakfast because it seems like he's always too heavy. He received his last immunizations until he goes to kindergarten, which is a relief. He cried, but was very brave. He was very mad at the nurses and kept saying, "mommy owie! Mommy owie!" while great big tears streamed from his sad eyes. It wasn't hard to distract him from the pain though, we just took him to the fishies in the lobby and he was content once more. After our adventure at the doctor's, we got Duane a frosty at Wendy's for being so brave. Avan had a little too, but he was happy with mama milk for his reward. Haha!
In short, my babies are growing. It is hard to watch them grow so fast but it just makes me that much more determined to enjoy every moment I can with them.
Avan's Doctor appointment:
Avan was happy and smiley and flirting with the nurses. I, of course, couldn't find his immunization card, so the office had to phone the hospital and have everything faxed over. Other than that, there weren't any bumps in our visit. Avan now weighs 16 pounds, which is in the 50 percentile for kids his age. He was also in the 50 percentile for his height, which I don't remember . . . He got three shots and only cried a little he was so brave. He kept looking at me with his sad face like he was asking, "Why did you let them do that?"
When Dr. Wilcox came in to look at him, Avan was sitting on the table, playing with the paper they lay down for each patient. Dr. Wilcox looked a little surprised to see Avan sitting up on his own and said, "I have to tell you that developmentaly, he's doing great! I don't remember the last time I've seen a five month old sitting up so well!" I was pleased, but I really didn't have anything to do with his sitting up early. He's so determined to catch up with Duane that it makes me sick!
Duane's Doctor appointment:
Our appointment was at 8:45 this morning. It snowed like crazy all the way there. We almost missed the appointment we were so late. Thank you Utah weather. Snow in May, are you serious? Luckily the doctor was nice enough to allow us in even though we were more than 15 minutes late. Duane had been roused early and was being a little bit of a stinker. He LOVES the fishies in the lobby and was reluctant to leave them. Once in the patient room, he cried when I took off his choo-choo sweater and kept yelling, "Jacket mine! Jacket mine!"
Currently, Duane weighs 32 pounds and is 35 inches tall. For weight he is in the 92 percentile and for height he is in the 79 percentile. He is tall and must eat lead for breakfast because it seems like he's always too heavy. He received his last immunizations until he goes to kindergarten, which is a relief. He cried, but was very brave. He was very mad at the nurses and kept saying, "mommy owie! Mommy owie!" while great big tears streamed from his sad eyes. It wasn't hard to distract him from the pain though, we just took him to the fishies in the lobby and he was content once more. After our adventure at the doctor's, we got Duane a frosty at Wendy's for being so brave. Avan had a little too, but he was happy with mama milk for his reward. Haha!
In short, my babies are growing. It is hard to watch them grow so fast but it just makes me that much more determined to enjoy every moment I can with them.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Easy Lemon Bars
These lemon bars are really simple to make. I think adding lemon juice and/or lemon zest would make that much more lemony!
These lemon bars are really simple to make. I think adding lemon juice and/or lemon zest would make that much more lemony!
These lemon bars are really simple to make. I think adding lemon juice and/or lemon zest would make that much more lemony!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Hogle Zoo 2010
This years zoo adventure was so much fun. Thanks to my mom for taking us all and being such an awesome mom and granma!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Dragons
Last night, just as I was getting Avan to bed, Duane started crying from his room. He had been put to bed about a half hour earlier and I thought that he was already asleep. When I heard him crying, I went into his room and asked him what was wrong. He pointed at the window and, with all the fear a two year old could have, said "DRAGONS! DRAGONS!" I was really confused because the only dragons I could think of that he knew were the ones on PBS kids. Then I heard the yowling of cats just outside his window. Anyone who has ever heard a cat fight knows that they can sound really nasty. Duane was scared out of his mind and still yelling, "DRAGONS!" I quickly scooped him up and took him outside to show him that the kitties were making that sound. He seemed to calm down once he saw the cats. One was pitch black and lives in our apartment building and the other was snow white. The white one bolted out from under a car it had been hiding under and the black one took off after it. I told Duane not to be afraid and that kitties sometimes made ugly sounds when they got together.
It took about a half hour of comforting, but Duane did manage to get back to sleep. He felt much better after he discovered that his dragons were really cats in the parking lot.
It took about a half hour of comforting, but Duane did manage to get back to sleep. He felt much better after he discovered that his dragons were really cats in the parking lot.
Hi Feet
Yesterday, Duane, Avan and I all went to the park. Duane was running around and jumping on all the fun things he likes to play with. At random, he stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and the sand. He looked down at his cute little feet and said, "Hi feet!" It was too cute and I couldn't help but laugh at his creative and random spirit.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Homemade Pinata
This year, for Duane's second birthday, I decided to make him a pinata. Here's what to do if you want to make your own:
First you will need some shredded up newspaper and a punch balloon blown up to a nice size. You know the kind with the rubber band on it so you can punch it over and over again? It's nicer than a regular balloon because it's more of a circle than an oval. I've even heard of people using large soda bottles and things like that.
Next you will need some water and flour and a helper. The flour and the water is for the paste. You can use something like Elmer's glue if you'd rather, but if you are making the flour paste, then you will want to mix equal parts flour and water. I mixed two cups at a time (two water and two flour) because if you make it all at once, it just sits for hours while you wait for layers to dry.
After you've made your paste, start dipping pieces of newspaper into the paste mix and laying them carefully onto the balloon. As you can see, I used a large mixing bowl to hold my punch balloon in place.
After you've finished covering your balloon with one layer, let it dry for a few hours until it's hard. The paste will stiffen up nicely.
For Duane's pinata, I only did three layers. He was turning two and we didn't want to make it too hard to break. If I were making it for someone older, I probably would have done more layers. For the final layer, I used blank children's sketch paper from Duane's sketch pad. If you use blank paper for the final layer, it will be much easier to paint.
Then we invited some of Duane's friends over to paint his pinata.
Here is the finished product!
First you will need some shredded up newspaper and a punch balloon blown up to a nice size. You know the kind with the rubber band on it so you can punch it over and over again? It's nicer than a regular balloon because it's more of a circle than an oval. I've even heard of people using large soda bottles and things like that.
Next you will need some water and flour and a helper. The flour and the water is for the paste. You can use something like Elmer's glue if you'd rather, but if you are making the flour paste, then you will want to mix equal parts flour and water. I mixed two cups at a time (two water and two flour) because if you make it all at once, it just sits for hours while you wait for layers to dry.
After you've made your paste, start dipping pieces of newspaper into the paste mix and laying them carefully onto the balloon. As you can see, I used a large mixing bowl to hold my punch balloon in place.
After you've finished covering your balloon with one layer, let it dry for a few hours until it's hard. The paste will stiffen up nicely.
For Duane's pinata, I only did three layers. He was turning two and we didn't want to make it too hard to break. If I were making it for someone older, I probably would have done more layers. For the final layer, I used blank children's sketch paper from Duane's sketch pad. If you use blank paper for the final layer, it will be much easier to paint.
Then we invited some of Duane's friends over to paint his pinata.
Here is the finished product!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Cloth Cubes
Monday, April 12, 2010
What I Wish I'd Known Before I Had Kids
1) Everything you now you might as well forget
I spent a great deal of time babysitting before I got married and I was sure that I was ready for anything a baby of my own could throw my way. It turned out that I was wrong. Nothing can prepare you for the highs and lows of parenting. I learned that sometimes it takes a miracle and a lot of prayer just to accomplish one thing outside of taking care of babies. (Like laundry and dishes). Although babysitting trained me how to handle every day things like owies and fights, having my own baby was so different that there really was no comparison.
2) Schedules are designed to make you cry
While I think it's important to have a set time for things like meals and nap time, there will be days when your child will do nothing but sit and play in their crib during nap time only to fall asleep on the couch when you finally feel bad enough to get them out. In short, be prepared for your child to be your life and if you do go with a schedule, know that it can and will be swindled by your little one at any given moment.
3) It's okay to cry and, if you're anything like me, you will do a lot of it
In my situation, I am a stay-at-home mom. For me, there were times when I hit rock bottom and was sure I wouldn't make it to the next day with out going insane. There were times when I felt so alone that all I could do was cry. You will have bad days, but the second your little one smiles that toothless smile, you will remember the joy and you will find strength.
I spent a great deal of time babysitting before I got married and I was sure that I was ready for anything a baby of my own could throw my way. It turned out that I was wrong. Nothing can prepare you for the highs and lows of parenting. I learned that sometimes it takes a miracle and a lot of prayer just to accomplish one thing outside of taking care of babies. (Like laundry and dishes). Although babysitting trained me how to handle every day things like owies and fights, having my own baby was so different that there really was no comparison.
2) Schedules are designed to make you cry
While I think it's important to have a set time for things like meals and nap time, there will be days when your child will do nothing but sit and play in their crib during nap time only to fall asleep on the couch when you finally feel bad enough to get them out. In short, be prepared for your child to be your life and if you do go with a schedule, know that it can and will be swindled by your little one at any given moment.
3) It's okay to cry and, if you're anything like me, you will do a lot of it
In my situation, I am a stay-at-home mom. For me, there were times when I hit rock bottom and was sure I wouldn't make it to the next day with out going insane. There were times when I felt so alone that all I could do was cry. You will have bad days, but the second your little one smiles that toothless smile, you will remember the joy and you will find strength.
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